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Black Hole

Lensing of space time around a black hole. At Oxford we study black holes observationally and theoretically on all size and time scales - it is some of our core work.

Credit: ALAIN RIAZUELO, IAP/UPMC/CNRS. CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE IMAGES.

Professor Andrew Bunker

Professor of Astrophysics

Research theme

  • Astronomy and astrophysics

Sub department

  • Astrophysics

Research groups

  • Galaxy formation and evolution
Andy.Bunker@physics.ox.ac.uk
Telephone: 01865 (2)83126
Denys Wilkinson Building, room 702
  • About
  • Publications

JADES Data Release 4 – Paper II. Data reduction, analysis, and emission-line fluxes of the complete spectroscopic sample

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Oxford University Press 549:4 (2026) stag939

Authors:

J Scholtz, S Carniani, E Parlanti, F D’Eugenio, E Curtis-Lake, P Jakobsen, AJ Bunker, AJ Cameron, S Arribas, WM Baker, S Charlot, J Chevellard, C Circosta, M Curti, Q Duan, DJ Eisenstein, K Hainline, Z Ji, BD Johnson, GC Jones, N Kumari, R Maiolino, MV Maseda, M Perna, PG Pérez-González, A Saxena

Abstract:

We present the fourth data release of the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), providing deep spectroscopic observations in the two GOODS fields. A companion paper presents the target selection, spectroscopic redshifts and success rates, and in this paper, we discuss the data reduction and present emission-line flux measurements. The spectroscopy in this work consists of medium-depth, deep, and ultradeep NIRSpec/MSA spectra of 5190 targets, covering the spectral range m and observed with both the low-dispersion prism () and all three medium-resolution gratings (). We describe the data reduction, analysis and description of the data products included in this data release. In total, we measured 3297 robust redshifts out of 5190 targets, spanning a redshift range from up to , including 974 at . This data release includes 1D and 2D fully reduced spectra with 3- and 5-pixel extractions, with slit-loss corrections and background subtraction optimized for point sources. Furthermore, we provide redshifts and SNR > 5 emission-line flux catalogues for the prism and grating spectra, as well as new guidelines to use these data products. Lastly, we are launching a new JADES online data base, designed to enable quick selection and browsing of this data release. Altogether, these data provide the largest statistical sample to date including both PRISM and medium grating spectra across full NIRSpec wavelength range to characterize the properties of galaxy populations across cosmic time.

JADES Data Release 4 Paper I: Sample Selection, Observing Strategy and Redshifts of the complete spectroscopic sample

(2026)

Authors:

Emma Curtis-Lake, Alex J Cameron, Andrew J Bunker, Jan Scholtz, Stefano Carniani, Eleonora Parlanti, Francesco D'Eugenio, Peter Jakobsen, Christopher NA Willmer, Santiago Arribas, William M Baker, Stéphane Charlot, Jacopo Chevallard, Chiara Circosta, Mirko Curti, Daniel J Eisenstein, Kevin Hainline, Zhiyuan Ji, Benjamin D Johnson, Gareth C Jones, Roberto Maiolino, Michael V Maseda, Pablo G Pérez-González, Tim Rawle, Marcia Rieke, Pierluigi Rinaldi, Brant Robertson, Bruno Rodrígez Del Pino, Aayush Saxena, Irene Shivaei, Renske Smit, Sandro Tacchella, Hannah Übler, Giacomo Venturi, Christina C Williams, Chris Willott, Qiao Duan

GA-NIFS: High prevalence of dusty and metal-enriched outflows in massive and luminous star-forming galaxies at z

Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences (2026)

Authors:

B Rodríguez Del Pino, S Arribas, M Perna, I Lamperti, A Bunker, S Carniani, S Charlot, F D'Eugenio, R Maiolino, H Übler, E Bertola, T Böker, G Cresci, GC Jones, C Marconcini, E Parlanti, J Scholtz, G Venturi, S Zamora

Abstract:

We present the search and characterisation of ionised outflows in a sample of 15 star-forming systems at z $ and outflow velocities V_ with no evidence of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) observed with the JWST/NIRSpec instrument in Integral Field Spectroscopic mode (IFS) as part of the `Galaxy Assembly with NIRSpec IFS' (GA-NIFS) program. Some of the target systems are comprised of various individual galaxies, adding up to a total of 40 individual objects. Our sample encompasses the high mass end of the galaxy populations, with most of the sample having stellar masses within log_10 (M_⋆/M_⊙) = 9.5-11, while previous studies on high-z star formation driven outflows generally contain galaxies of log_10 (M_⋆/M_⊙)$<9.5$. Leveraging the spatially resolved information and rest-frame optical coverage provided by NIRSpec IFS data, we analysed the and ̋a emission lines to search for broad kinematic components associated with galactic outflows. Crucially, the IFS observations allowed us to directly isolate the regions hosting the outflows, rather than relying on integrated spectra. We identified signatures of ionised outflows in 16 individual galaxies/regions (in 13 out of 15 systems), although we consider two of them only as `candidates', as they could be related to mergers or tidal interactions. After constraining their spatial location and extent, we characterised the integrated properties of the outflowing gas and evaluated the impact on the host galaxies. We find that the outflowing gas is more dust attenuated (by A_ ̊m V mag on average) and metal enriched (sim0.13 dex) than the interstellar medium of the host galaxies, suggesting that outflows contribute to distributing dust and metals around them. The outflows identified in this study present velocity dispersions within σ_ ̊m out km s -1 ̊m out km s^-1. Considering also less luminous and less massive star-forming galaxies from previous works, there is a statistically significant correlation between outflow velocity (v_̊m out) and star formation rate (SFR). The generally low mass-loading factors (η= _ ̊m M ̊m out /SFR $<1, in nine out of 14 outflows) obtained for the ionised outflows suggest that they do not suppress star formation in the host galaxies. Moreover, their velocities are not high enough to escape their hosts and reach the circumgalactic medium. Our results indicate that ejective feedback through ionised outflows is inefficient in high-mass and luminous star-forming galaxies within the first 2 Gyr of cosmic time.

GA-NIFS: AGN activity in a Lyα emitter within a triple-AGN system anchored by a passive galaxy at z=3

Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences (2026)

Authors:

Michele Perna, Santiago Arribas, Mahmoud Hamed, Francesco D'Eugenio, Isabella Lamperti, Andrew J Bunker, Stefano Carniani, Stéphane Charlot, Roberto Maiolino, Bruno Rodríguez Del Pino, Hannah Übler, Torsten Böker, Elena Bertola, Giovanni Cresci, Giacomo Venturi, Michele Ginolfi, Montserrat Villar Martín, Sandra Zamora

Abstract:

Massive quenched galaxies at z>3 challenge models of early galaxy evolution, as their rapid formation and abrupt quenching require efficient feedback, which is often linked to active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The quiescent galaxy at z=3.064 is a key example of this population. Previous JWST/NIRSpec integral field unit (IFU) observations revealed an AGN-driven outflow and uncovered a compact pair of AGNs separated by sim5 kpc. In addition, VLT/MUSE spectroscopy identified a third AGN candidate at a projected distance of sim30 kpc, associated with a luminous łya emitter (LAE2) characterised by high-ionisation UV lines, although rest-frame optical diagnostics were not previously available. We aim to confirm the nature of LAE2 using rest-frame optical diagnostics enabled by new JWST observations, and to characterise the physical and ionisation properties of both LAE2 and a distinct nearby łya emitter (LAE1) that lacks any detectable continuum counterpart. Through this analysis, we investigated the interplay among low-mass satellites, black-hole growth, and the ionised environment of a quenched massive galaxy at high redshift. We analysed new JWST/NIRSpec IFU observations targeting the optical nebular lines of LAE1 and LAE2, including and ∋i, complemented with VLT/MUSE IFU spectroscopy, as part of the GA-NIFS project. We extracted integrated and spatially resolved spectra, constructed emission-line maps, and used standard diagnostic diagrams to determine ionisation sources and kinematics. LAE2 exhibits rest-frame UV–optical-line ratios fully consistent with an embedded AGN. Its and emission displays a clumpy morphology and irregular, non-rotating kinematics on sub-kiloparsec scales. Except for łya, LAE1 remains undetected in all nebular lines and in JWST imaging; its łya emission is broad (σ ∼ 200 ̨ms) and asymmetric. The similarity of the LAE1 and LAE2 łya profiles in both velocity and flux suggests that LAE1 traces resonantly scattered emission powered by LAE2 rather than in situ star formation (although the latter cannot be completely ruled out). Our analysis reveals that the environment of contains both multi-black-hole activity and gas structures on tens-of-kiloparsec scales, offering new insights into how feedback, accretion, and satellite interactions influence the late evolutionary stages of quenched massive galaxies.

Hitting the slopes: a spectroscopic view of UV continuum slopes of galaxies reveals a reddening at z > 9.5

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Oxford University Press 548:4 (2026) stag808

Authors:

Aayush Saxena, Alex J Cameron, Harley Katz, Andrew J Bunker, Jacopo Chevallard, Francesco D’Eugenio, Santiago Arribas, Rachana Bhatawdekar, Kristan Boyett, Phillip A Cargile, Stefano Carniani, Stéphane Charlot, Mirko Curti, Emma Curtis-Lake, Kevin Hainline, Zhiyuan Ji, Benjamin D Johnson, Gareth C Jones, Nimisha Kumari, Isaac Laseter, Michael V Maseda, Brant Robertson, Charlotte Simmonds, Sandro Tacchella, Hannah Übler

Abstract:

The ultraviolet (UV) continuum slope of galaxies, , is a powerful diagnostic of the metallicity and ages of stars, nebular gas properties, dust content, and the escape of Lyman continuum (LyC) photons. In this study, we present measurements for 395 spectroscopically confirmed galaxies at selected primarily from JADES, using high-quality JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) NIRSpec/PRISM spectra. We find a median , finding a mild increase in blueness of with increasing redshift and fainter UV magnitudes. Interestingly, we find evidence for reddening of the average at , deviating from the trend observed at . Using stacked spectra in bins of redshift and , we derive trends between and dust attenuation, metallicity, ionization parameter, and stellar age indicators, finding a lack of dust attenuation to be the dominant driver of bluer -values. We further report five galaxies with , which show a range of spectroscopic properties and signs of significant LyC photon leakage. Finally, we show that the redder -values at may require rapid build-up of dust reservoirs in the very early Universe or a significant contribution from the nebular continuum emission to the observed UV spectra, with the nebular continuum fraction depending on the gas temperatures and densities. We show that in the absence of dust, nebular emission at cm can reproduce the range of red that we see in our sample. Higher gas densities can also redden the nebular continuum emission, potentially explaining the observed -values.

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